Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to reconfigurable partition systems, and more particularly, to reconfigurable modular wall and ceiling systems comprising reconfigurable modules, components, and/or design elements, and to methods of assembling, (re)configuring, and/or using the same.
Background and Relevant Art
Modular wall systems, or dividers as they are sometimes called, are used most commonly in an office environment to separate work areas and to give people privacy or aesthetics where permanent walls are lacking, undesirable, or impractical. Some previous wall systems are difficult to (re)configure or move without significant amounts of labor and dislocation. For instance, most systems lack the flexibility to quickly and simply change the ordering, orientation, height, or relationship between adjacent or even distal modular wall components in order to change the aesthetics or functionality of an existing wall. Other systems lack the flexibility to use or substitute different types of modular units, tiles, or panels at a designated location or to replace a module in the middle of a wall without taking apart the entire wall. For instance, in some existing modular wall systems, the connection or relationship between a solid wall module and an adjacent glass wall module cannot be altered without removing and replacing both modules. This permanent relationship between adjacent modules may require every possible combination of adjacent relationship to be conceived and manufactured ahead of time.
Removing and replacing multiple modules to achieve a desired aesthetic can be cost and/or time prohibitive in some cases. Thus, existing wall systems may limit a user's ability to reconfigure, reorient, rearrange, and/or replace one or more modules of the wall system without laborious alterations such as, for example: (1) redesigning the entire wall system; (2) changing, altering, and/or swapping connection components; (3) disassembling the entire wall and/or large (sub)section(s) thereof; and/or (4) requiring additional adapters, components, and/or compatibility elements to ensure proper alignment and/or attachment of the modules.
There also is a need to be able to use the same wall system concepts, components, and connection interface(s) in commercial, residential, industrial and other applications without a system overhaul. Accordingly, there are a number of disadvantages in conventional wall systems that can be addressed.